Sometimes, no matter how many attempts you make at refining a story, it still just doesn’t feel right. And that can be pretty off-putting, not to mention demotivating. Especially when you just cannot point out what went wrong. Let’s see if ending these seven deadly sins helps resurrect your lost confidence in your story idea. 

If you’re reading this to know what to avoid getting wrong before beginning, I have a writing prompt at the end for you to practice your newly gained skills. Let’s jump right in!

The Seven Deadly Sins of Speculative Fiction

Sin 1: Over-explaining

A reader isn’t looking for every detail of that dress or how that coffee smells. Trust me: they aren’t looking to read your character’s daily routine either or the exact science behind how your characters teleported. Readers want just enough to invoke powerful imagery in their minds; their brains will take care of the rest. One of the most definite signs you’re over-explaining an element in your story is repetition.

If you think you need to write four sentences to describe joy, you’re not following the rule called “show not tell.” Instead, you’re over-explaining. You also don’t need a dialogue tag after every bit of dialogue if you’ve established clearly who is speaking and worst of all is when you add an adverb after that dialogue tag! Also, skip the long, flowy descriptions for every additional element added to the scene.

Sin 2: Inconsistencies

As a writer, one of the biggest tasks you’re entrusted with is to make sure the flow of logic established in your plot, and story in general, runs smoothly until the end. Readers might forgive you for not giving your character a certain quirk, but they will shed a lot of tears if they’re halfway through the story and start noticing inconsistencies. Imagine the frustration!

And like I wrote last time, Pantsers can’t just wing it with speculative fiction. In speculative fiction, the entire idea is to make sure your speculative elements fall within the line of logic as readers practice willing suspension of disbelief. 

To avoid inconsistencies, try keeping brief notes of your plot and characters. Read the story yourself and check for plot holes. And once you’re confident enough, get someone trustworthy to read your story.

Sin 3: Only Plot Focused

A story needs a great plot, but it also needs terrific characters. In fact, the formula to a heart-warming novel is:

Great Plot + Terrific Characters = Great Novel

A plot, especially in speculative fiction, can be thrilling, toe-curling, attention-grabbing, but don’t forget to develop your characters along the way. More often than not, we are so engrossed by all the speculative elements we forget the latter. However, we relate to people, not situations. 

Characters develop through what is happening during the plot. But the characters first need a personality, to begin with. If you think you can kickstart the story with a cool plot, a never-before-seen world, and later focus on the characters, please think again.

Readers want to see the entire journey of the characters. From page one.

Sin 4: Incomprehensible Characters

That brings me to characters that are too hard to understand. I don’t mean they can’t have a complex backstory, complex thought processes, or even toxic traits. That is all realistic. In fact, human beings are rarely simple. 

What I mean is a character that isn’t unique or three-dimensional. Our motivations and actions work in a cause-effect relationship. If you have characters that are understandable (that is, even their complexities are logical), they will grab the readers’ attention and the story will tell itself.

Avoid characters that have clichéd personalities or no personalities at all, unrealistic dialogue, characters that are stuck in passive roles (meaning the plot is driving them, not the other way around), or characters that have no weaknesses. 

An incomprehensible character is difficult to understand not because of their complexities but because they aren’t lifelike.

Sin 5: Clichés

No matter whether the clichés are scenes, a trope, a quirk, avoid them! Something so overused that it lacks originality and makes your readers whine will not benefit you. 

That is not to say that you should stop incorporating something like an alien race or a wizarding world, or even love triangles. But try to make it original. After all, there is so much literature available to us, each word on the page will not be unique. But at least try to make it original.

Just because something is sensational or trending doesn’t mean we gallop after it blindfolded. 

Similarly, don’t go borrowing tales. Now that might seem counterintuitive since I have talked about the art of retelling once on this platform. But if you read that, you would understand how retelling can be aced by spicing it up with originality, stakes, and other details.

Sin 6: Conlangs

Simply put, an artificially created language. Do not use or create one unless you understand linguistics. Just because you are creating a language does not mean you can throw in a bunch of alphabets and call it a day. Not to mention, syntax and morphology play a huge part and will complicate things!

J.R.R Tolkien did it because he was a philologist. Either get help from the professionals if your story really requires a conlang or stick to the languages you know. All our languages are beautiful, and you don’t need a conlang to prove you’re writing speculative fiction.

Sin 7: Info-dumping

Remember the golden rule: avoid world-building until readers care about the world. 

In fact, let’s amp it up a little: avoid giving too much information about any speculative element until readers care. 

No one cares about the far-off galaxy, a tiny planet where it rains gold, and cities occupied by the love children of aliens and AI. And no one wants to read 5 pages worth of details either. 

Info-dumping is horrendous overkill. Imagine digging into your favorite dish and the first bite has all the salt gathered there. That’s what info-dumping is like. Sprinkle your details around. Show them at the relevant moments. 

Information about the world or characters should further the plot, not put the readers to sleep.

There you have it: The seven deadly sins that destroy the beauty of speculative fiction and seven virtues that can save it. 

Now, let’s test if you’ve gained the skills, shall we?

In case you don’t have a story ready to test it on, here is a prompt to get you started:

It is known the world will end when the white smoke rises. Now, as the haze grows thicker, there’s panic and chaos. But your character believes it is only climate change and we can reverse it.

I can’t wait to read your stories. And the next time we meet, I have a few of my favorite books I would like to share with you for understanding character development in the world of speculative fiction. Until then!

Tell us in the comments: Which of these 7 deadly sins do you struggle with the most?

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what next to write. Connect with her on www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram (@quillinary) and Twitter (@quillinary).

The post The Seven Deadly Sins of Speculative Fiction (and How to Fix Them) appeared first on DIY MFA.

Defining LGBTQ+ Literature

LGBTQ+ literature, especially young adult fiction, has boomed in popularity. But what is LGBTQ+ literature? How can we define something that spans all genres, modes, styles, and ages?

In 2019, I published a book titled From A Whisper to A Riot: The Gay Writers Who Crafted an American Literature Tradition. After years of research, reading dozens upon dozens of LGBTQ+ works by LGBTQ+ writers, I came up with four common traits that help us truly understand how to read—and write—LGBTQ+ stories. Those traits are: Setting; Engaging with Stereotypes; Coded Communication; and Issues of Gender & Sexuality.  

It’s a good idea for writers to know their history and for columnists to be transparent about the way they approach their topics. Since my future columns might address one or more of these four concerns, and because I believe an interest in LGBTQ+ literature should be grounded in textual and cultural awareness, I want to take this opportunity to outline these four concepts.

Setting: Time and Place

An important feature for LGBTQ+ texts that were written and published in the U.S. before the Stonewall Riots of 1969—and related legal judgements surrounding “obscene” publications—was that the stories were often set in locations that allowed the reader to “distance” herself from it. This physical distance between the reader and the story provided some psychological comfort in that it invited the reader to witness a kind of story that “couldn’t happen here,” and so it was unthreatening.

Similarly, LGBTQ+ writers created that same sense of distance by writing stories that took place in earlier time periods. This includes mid-century novels that took place before World War I, for example, or those that were set in the Renaissance or in Ancient Greece. Just as physical distance created a kind of spatial buffer between the reader and the provocative plot, so too did temporal distance. A reader could enjoy the story, even discuss it with friends, because its contents took place in a time long gone.

Today, writers of LGBTQ+ fiction often use the same devices, distancing their story by time or place. They manifest in new ways, however, such as writers who look back on the times of shock “therapy” to “cure” homosexuality, or who revisit the AIDS crisis, or who write about what it was like for a queer kid growing up in the rural south to finally move to a big city up north. In effect, LGBTQ+ writers are still very much interested in where and when their stories take place and continue to make these an important part of the genre.

Engaging with LGBTQ+ Stereotypes

An unfortunate and harmful aspect of LGBTQ+ literature is its penchant for enabling and creating stereotypes. These range from what it means to be gay, what homosexuals look or act like, and even what is likely to happen to a gay person—a shared fate. In a disturbing number of LGBTQ+ texts, for example, the gay male character, whether he is the main character or a supporting one, ends up dead, usually by committing suicide or, post-AIDS crisis, of disease. When we think of literature as a socio-cultural conversation, this repeated imagery has seriously painful consequences. 

Fortunately, some of the historical texts, those written before Stonewall, offer alternative perspectives, many of them even falling into that “happily ever after” trope. It’s refreshing to see texts written as early as the 1920s offering their gay characters opportunities at a good life, fulfilling relationships, and health and longevity. But for those who, like me, grew up in the wake of the AIDS crisis and the stories that came out of it, it might be a surprise to know they exist.

Contemporary readers and writers are treated to a much wider range of complex stories that deal with the roundness of human experience. Today, a “good” LGBTQ+ novel treats its characters as fully human and their sexuality as one element of that life experience. We continue to note some trends, though, in stereotypes surrounding gender expression, mental health, and family issues. A writer of LGBTQ+ stories, whether identifying as LGBTQ+ themselves or not, should read widely and take note of common stereotypes, employ sensitivity readers liberally, and be certain that s/he is treating their characters as human first.

LGBTQ+ Coded Communication

One of the more entertaining elements of LGBTQ+ reading and writing is engaging with the many codes and subtle hints that writers use to share the LGBTQ+ experience and to create community. In early texts, and to some extent the contemporary ones, these codes include such language as characters who are seeking “sisterhood,” “brotherhood” or “camaraderie,” or describing gay characters as “sensitive,” “artistic,” or even “womanly.” Many characters are described as being “in sympathy” and there are often historical or cultural references, to Ancient Greece, for example, or to (in)famously queer figures like Oscar Wilde.

Codes can quickly become tired tropes and stereotypes if the writer is not careful. Certainly, in the original conversations happening in the early 1900s, writers did not have much choice; to speak openly about homosexuality was not just to ensure your work wouldn’t be published, but it was to invite criminal prosecution and social ostracization. Today, in most places, the likelihood of the latter situations occurring is much reduced. Still, codes can be helpful as literary devices.

In popular LGBTQ+ literature today, many of the ancient references have been replaced by those in pop culture. Characters who are sexually or gender diverse might express interest in figures like David Bowie, Prince, Madonna, or Dolly Parton. Similarly, there are often references to sub-cultures, particular kinds of films and music scenes, which help to create that same atmosphere of community that the earliest LGBTQ+ writers were designing well before anyone could have the gay conversation out loud.

Gender & Sexuality

Lastly, there have been and continue to be issues for writers of LGBTQ+ stories in distinguishing between gender and sexuality. In early works, and today, writers often default(ed) to writing lesbian characters as explicitly and exclusively “butch,” and gay men as explicitly and exclusively “feminine.” In romance, the “masculine” partner is usually the “dominant” partner, and the “feminine” partner is usually the “submissive” one. Although most of us now know that sexuality and gender expression are not one and the same, and that everyone on the LGBTQ+ spectrum exists also along the non-parallel spectrum of gender identity, writers often continue to perpetuate the idea of a common denominator. We don’t need these boxes; they reinforce something that isn’t true, and our LGBTQ+ stories will continue to grow in depth, reality, and diversity if we commit to writing characters who are uniquely individual, rather than defaulting to narrow assumptions.

Thinking About It

If you are an LGBTQ+ reader or writer, can you think about a favorite LGBTQ+ character from literature (whether a novel, a play, or a short story) who was effective because they didn’t seem to fit the mold? Why did that character stand out? How did the author do it? 

Adam W. Burgess is an English Professor at College of Southern Nevada. He has a Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University and is pursuing a post-doc writing certificate at the University of California, Berkeley. He loves engaging in all topics related to LGBTQ literature and craft. 

The post What Is LGBTQ+ Literature? appeared first on DIY MFA.

No matter your romance subgenre of choice, adding a twist or ten is a sure-fire way to keep your story out of the boring, predictable zone. Think about it. There is nothing wrong with sweet, low-drama-no-drama romances and plenty of folks desire this gentle read. But for the more adventurous genres, just when your reader thinks they’ve figured out the plot, have it wrapped in pretty paper, and tied with a fancy, overpriced bow, BAM, she gets smacked upside the head with a zinger twist. 

     The best way to write a twist? Don’t think about it, free-write instead. Hang with me for a sec. Nine times out of ten, if you go with your first, or even third idea, your reader has already thought of the same scenario. Your twist will be the identical twist your reader imagined. Instead, put pen to paper and allow your creativity to flow. Set a timer for 20 minutes, take a few deep cleansing breaths, then release your thoughts. Let the words flow until you have at least eight to ten ideas for a twist. Choose the most original idea, one that will surprise, even shock. You have a winner.   

 Make Your Own Luck

     Sometimes you must create your own luck by taking fate and shaking it up a bit. Think about Cinder-Sweeping Ella and her warts-a-plenty stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella. Did Ella receive a cherished invitation to the Princes’ “seeking a worthy bride ball”?  Ella’s fairy godmother sashays into her cottage and one flick of a magic wand blankets Ella in more sparkles than Cher decked out in Bob Mackie. What other way would a cinder-sweeper meet a prince if not for crashing his ball? Outcome: Happily Ever After for the Prince & Ella.

A Fib For Now

     We reserve this fib for jealousy. Scenario: Enter a gal with letting go issues who realizes her ex will attend the same upcoming event. Ugh. Her mind goes into Rolodex mode, flipping through names for potential escorts.

     But what happens the night of the event when her tummy fills with the flitter-flutter of butterfly wings and feelings more than a simple attraction raises for her escort? She doesn’t know if her hired date is a convincing actor playing an attentive flame or truly echoing her burning embers. Does she present him with an academy award or a condom?

Hopeless Romantic Seizes Opportunity 

     An admirer, perhaps a cabbie, has illusions of winning the affections of a woman he transports on a near daily basis. She suffers an event requiring a trip to the hospital and leaves a personal item behind. The cabbie is mistaken for her boyfriend/fiancé by her enormous family when he returns said item and finds the damsel of his dreams in a coma.    

Can we spell opportunist? Does he clarify a case of mistaken identity when she wakes with amnesia, or does he remain a cad and hope/pray/sell his soul to the devil for a chance at love?

The “I fell out of love but don’t want to hurt your feelings,” Fib.

     So, rather than tell the truth and suffer the pain in his voice, wait for him to screw up, maybe even set him up to screw up, and then pretend that is the reason for the breakup. It’s all your fault, Sasquatch, and if not for your Neanderthal behavior we would have lived our lives in nauseating bliss.

Misinterpreting Truth for a Farfetched Lie

     Sometimes, a new flame really is too good to be true. You are eons past your first rodeo and this cowboy thinks you’re as dumb as a steaming pile of horse apples. He feeds you tales of his 2,000-acre cattle ranch where flowers sprout from the derriere of dairy cows. But then you visit one day and low and behold you could pluck enough butt daisies for a centerpiece.

The Undead

     What about the character who merely appears to have died but resurrects later at a most inopportune time? The plot thickens as your grieving widow listens with a gleam in her eye during the reading of the will, while the so-called corpse takes a seat in the back.

The Sociopath’s Lie

     The sociopath has no conscience and lies to manipulate another into a relationship. How will your protagonist discover the nature of so-called love? Sociopath’s like to control and manipulate their environment. How will she free herself from the blue-speckled stew pot? I sense the writing of a romantic psycho-thriller.

The Assumed Lie

     Your character’s new boyfriend misunderstood her job description. Oopsie. No, you do not hold a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry but you mop the floor after the staff leaves for the day. A doozie of this scale has the potential to blow up like a nitrogen blimp. Think Hindenburg. Does she set the guy straight or continue the farce and tell the guy his incisor looks cavityous?

Watch for the continuation of Romance Writers; Do the Twist Parts II & III. Until then… Writers Write!

Tammy Lough is an award-winning author who loves writing romance and creating unique characters who burst with personality and frequent sprinklings of humor. She writes a monthly column, On the Back Page with Tammy, for Saturday Writers, a Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild. She is an active member of the Missouri Romance Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the Missouri Writers Guild. You can connect with Tammy on her website www.TammyLough.com.

The post Romance Writers: Do the Twist! appeared first on DIY MFA.

But Wait, My Book Is About…

Yep. That’s the first thing many writers think when we start talking about portraying race in fiction. It’s okay and necessary to have a diverse cast of characters in your book. Writing characters or even a main character with a race other than your own can be difficult and has many possible literary traps to fall into. While our works may not be inherently racist, we still need to edit racial bias on a few levels. Here’s how to do it.

Tell Your Own Experiences

First, ask yourself if the story you are telling is really yours to tell. This all comes down to the experiences and emotional journey of the character. If you could easily switch the race of the character to your own and the experience would read the same, then your use of race is likely not a problem or something that will offend many readers (though there will always be a few).

Avoid Racial Stereotypes & Tropes

When changing the race of a character would make less sense for a reader, it can lead to tension because you may be relying on a racial stereotype or literary trope. While this may seem okay because “it’s been done before,” I challenge you to be more imaginative and break those stereotypes. This is part of being an ally to change. 

Overt Racial Bias

Next, we look at our sentences to determine if our wording is relevant, necessary, and/or overtly racist. Using racist terms or ethnic slurs (called ethnophaulisms) can shock or trigger readers in ways you might not intend. Instead of typing out these terms, find other ways to portray hate or bias your characters might need to experience to move their emotional journey forward.

Secretly Racist Terms

Editing the characters, tropes, and even sentences of your manuscript to better portray race and equality is important. But there are some everyday terms we use that have very shady origins. Unintended racism can still affect those who encounter it. Terms such as “ghetto,” when used in reference to Black culture, equate race with poverty and racial isolation. Even seemingly innocent phrases such as “he gyped me,” evoke negative feelings in reference to the Roma ethnic group commonly known as Gypsies.

So, How Can I Refer to Race in My Book Without Being Racist?

It won’t be the easiest road to edit our biases out of our work. After all, we need conflict to create a compelling story. But if that conflict is based on learned or historic bias, then you must tread lightly and examine your true motivations for your literary choices. It’s going to take practice to recognize, question, and find these characters, tropes, and words that until now many writers have toyed with without consideration—all in the name of literature. 

But we can be the change when it comes to racist and racially biased literature. We can start a revolution for equality and visibility for Black and other unheard voices. Changing the way race is portrayed in literature can drastically change what the children of this world learn as they read, learn, and grow. Questioning yourself and your portrayal of race in your writing is the only way to create this equitable future.

Jeanette the Writer is an editor, coach, and freelance writer who wants to help others demolish their editing fears and finish their manuscript. As a former scuba instructor turned entrepreneur, Jeanette knows about putting in the hard work to pursue your passions. She has worked with authors, speakers, coaches, and entrepreneurs—empowering them with the right mindset, knowledge, and tools to help them tackle their editing goals. You can learn more about Jeanette by visiting JeanetteTheWriter.com.

The post Editing Our Bias: How to Refer to Race in Literature appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Glynn Stewart on the show!

Glynn was liberated from a bleak future of being an accountant by his unstoppable writing habit which led him to write several science-fiction, space opera, and fantasy series.

He is the author of the Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible—but only because of magic. His other works include science fiction series Exile and Castle Federation, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood.

Glynn is also the author of the space opera trilogy Duchy of Terra as well as its sequel series Light of Terra, the first book of which (Darkness Beyond) was released in October of 2018.

I am in the midst of reading the first book in the original Duchy of Terra series, and OMG it is so awesome! It combines my two favorite things, pirates and outer space, into one epic story.

So listen in as Glynn and I talk about this amazing series, and turning the tropes of military science fiction upside down.

In this episode Glynn and I discuss:

• Crafting a strong female protagonist in military science fiction the right way.
• The art of using a point of view that is both limited and omniscient.
• How to create alien species that don’t feel earthbound.
• Worldbuilding through phased info dumps.
• Using history to inform your science fiction.

Plus, Glynn’s #1 tip for writers.

About Glynn Stewart

Glynn Stewart is the author of Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible—but only because of magic. His other works include science fiction series Exile, Duchy of Terra, Castle Federation and Vigilante, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood.

Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Kitchener, Ontario with his wife, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

To connect with Glynn check out his website at www.glynnstewart.com.

Duchy of Terra Trilogy

Book 1: The Terran Privateer

Earth is conquered.

Sol is lost.

One ship is tasked to free them.

One Captain to save them all.

When an alien armada destroys the United Earth Space Force and takes control of the human homeworld, newly reinstated Captain Annette Bond must take her experimental hyperspace cruiser Tornado into exile as Terra’s only interstellar privateer.

She has inferior technology, crude maps and no concept of her enemy, but the seedy underbelly of galactic society welcomes her so long as she has prizes to sell and money to spend.

But when your only allies are pirates and slavers, things are never as they seem—and if you become all that you were sworn to destroy, what are you fighting for?

Book 2: Duchess of Terra

When Terra knelt to an alien Imperium

They guaranteed our safety and our future

But now their enemies are coming for us

To preserve humanity’s survival and freedom in a hostile galaxy, Annette Bond tied her world to the A!Tol Imperium, taking on the mantle of Duchess of Terra to rule humanity in the Imperium’s name.

The A!Tol have provided technology, ships, and money to uplift the new Duchy of Terra, but those gifts come with strings attached. The Imperium has their own plan for Terra—but Bond has tricks of her own.

With enough time, she can build Earth a place in the galaxy. But as Bond’s many enemies gather their forces, the clouds of war threaten not only the recovering Terra but the entire Imperium.

Book 3: Terra and Imperium

Secrets both ancient and new.

Powers great and greater—

With Terra caught in the middle

Humanity’s first colony is a project neither the Duchy of Terra nor the A!Tol Imperium can allow to fail. The planet Hope in the Alpha Centauri system has been lavished with resources and attention—but when an unknown alien force attacks the system, all of that is in danger.

An ancient alien artifact is the apparent target of the attack, an artifact older than known galactic civilization. Suddenly, the backwater colony of a second-rate power is the gathering point for a confrontation of the galaxy’s greatest powers.

Duchess Annette Bond might be pregnant. She might be five light years away. She might have another galactic power on her doorstep demanding she surrender their rebels who’ve settled on Earth.

But she speaks for both Terra and the Imperium—and the galaxy will listen.

If you decide to check out the books in the Duchy of Terra series—The Terran Privateer, Duchess of Terra, and Terra and Imperium—we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate links, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 241

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 241: Twisting the Tropes of Military Science Fiction — Interview with Glynn Stewart appeared first on DIY MFA.